History of the OWI Standing Group
The OWI Standing Group began as a Special Interest Group that worked in conjunction with the CCCC Committee for Effective Practices in Online Writing Instruction (aka, OWI Committee). Members of the OWI Committee had used the SIG since 2008 as a forum for learning how instructors and administrators are experiencing OWI, how they are experiencing the application of the Position Statement of Principles and Example Effective Practices for OWI (after 2013), and providing expert advice on how to handle OWI-related issues in local contexts.
Beginning in 2007, the OWI Committee was an active committee that researched learning the current state of OWI at institutions around the nation through quantitative and qualitative studies, educated the field on effective practices for OWI (as evidenced by the position statement), and advocated on behalf of the students and instructors who participate in OWI.
In March 2016, the OWI Committee and Special Interest Group were reconfigured as the OWI Standing Group.
Mission Statement for the OWI Standing Group
The OWI Standing Group is a group of scholars and teachers whose purpose is to
- Extend the conversation about OWI to/with the general CCCC membership
- Elicit feedback on findings and application of these findings from CCCC members teaching or administrating OWI
- Counsel CCCC membership on strategies for administrating and teaching OWI in local contexts
As an extension of the original OWI Committee, the OWI Standing Group has
- Detailed the implications of the State of the Art report (2011) and elicited feedback
- Discussed the application of the Position Statement of Principles and Example Effective Practices for OWI (2013)
- Developed the Online Writing Instruction Open Resource, a peer reviewed online journal designed to provide practical teaching and administrative strategies that align with the 2013 Online Writing Instruction Principles statement.
- Learned about instructors’ and administrators’ concerns and used these to inform chapters in the publication that guides them on applying A Position Statement of Principles and Example Effective Practices for OWI called Foundational Practices of Online Writing Instruction (2015)
- Provided a consistent location for scholars and teachers to discuss localized issues with others who could pose potential solutions
- Supported and helped advance research ideas around OWI
The OWI Standing Group is interested in using this body to
- Learn, informally through meeting discussions and formally through research, about the OWI experiences of students, instructors, and administrators.
- Advocate for OWI students, instructors, and administrators at the CCCC.
- Organize OWI advocacy, research, teacher-preparation, and curriculum development for CCCC constituents
- Recruit experienced OWI instructors to contribute to the CCCC’s work on OWI